Becht Engineering performs considerable consulting engagements in the Pressure Vessel design and trouble shooting.
Bringing Order and Logic to the Evaluation Process There is a multitude of documents and reports that describe the damage mechanisms of ASME pressure equipment (vessels, pumps, valves, piping, and tanks, and their supports) in nuclear power plants. Thousands of pages published by EPRI, the NRC, ASME, NACE, research laboratories, utilities, contractors, and others, to […]
How hard can it be? I’ve heard from several (unnamed) analysts that because they have access to an FEA program and have successfully applied FEA in other fields, that FEA for pressure vessels should be a snap. What is it about FEA for pressure vessels that makes it unique? I was recently discussing with another […]
: Process: Does the repair change the process chemistries, physics (fluid phase), and thermo-hydraulics (flow rates, pressures, temperatures)? Does the modification change the control room indications and the operating envelopes? Material: Are the selected metallic materials (base metal and welds) and non-metallic materials (gaskets, packings, etc.) compatible with the existing materials, with the environment, and […]
Download/View as PDF Summary – This article assists engineers in selecting ASME XI options for the repair of ASME III nuclear components. In summary, the repair options in ASME XI are dispersed throughout Section XI and Code Cases, while, in contrast, the ASME PCC-2 repair standard (for non-safety related components) lists repair options in a […]
Overview Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) units were first developed in the 1930s. Over the years this technology has evolved and it is one of the most important processes used in refineries. The FCC units are used to convert high boiling point, high molecular weight hydrocarbon fractions of crude oils to gasoline, olefinic gases, and other products. […]
Achieving “State Special” designation for a pressure vessel can require a fair amount of effort in documentation development. This process is warranted – for example – when a company wants to move a pressure vessel from one facility for operation in a facility located in another state, or when they purchase a used vessel located […]
My previous blog on Equipment Health Monitoring (EHM) explains why EHM can be used to improve fatigue life of a coke drums. As explained in this blog, one of the critical locations to be monitored are the circumferential weld seams – where high thermal stresses occur during the operation of the drum. These high stresses over […]
Background Refinery coke drums experience fatigue induced issues which can be attributed to the coke drum operating cycle; rapidly heating the drum with hot coking feed, and, following the completion of coking process, rapidly quenching of the drum contents with water prior to cutting. Rapid temperature changes as the drum transitions between steady state temperatures […]
If the behavior of discontinuity stresses due to pressure is not properly understood in elevated temperature design, unconservative designs can result. One particular issue with pressure stresses is the behavior of the discontinuity bending stresses. An example of discontinuity stresses would be with a pipe welded to a flange. When pressured, the pipe will radially […]
Coke drums used in the delayed coking process have historically been subjected to severe operating conditions which result in numerous mechanical problems. The Coke Drum is far from your typical pressure vessel. However, the industry standard foundation, shimming, grouting and anchor bolt design continue to be identical to a typical pressure vessel. There is a […]
